AIM: To conduct a Meta-analysis for the change of interleukin-10 (IL-10) concentration in vitreous samples of patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR). METHODS: Systemic search for literature was conducted from the databases of PubMed, Web of Science and Cochrane Library by August 2019. Statistical analyses including standard mean difference (SMD) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were performed by using RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: Totally 194 studies were screened and finally 11 studies were included in the Meta-analysis. The concentration of IL-10 in the DR group was higher than in the control group (P=0.003, SMD: 0.77, 95%CI: 0.25-1.28). Significant heterogeneity was found among all studies (P<0.00001, I2=92%). The subgroup analysis showed that the concentration of IL-10 increased in vitreous samples from patients with DR compared to the non-DR controls (P=0.004, SMD: 1.44, 95%CI: 0.46-2.42). Moreover, the concentration of IL-10 in samples of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) patients was significantly higher than that of non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) patients (P=0.01, SMD: 0.61, 95%CI: 0.13-1.08). CONCLUSION: The vitreal concentration of IL-10 is significantly increased in patients with DR. Further studies are needed to reveal the mechanisms of IL-10 in DR.